Eric, great to read your articles again.

Must say I have a very different take on the direction the U.S. should go. I'm not sure that creating jobs should be the priority -- at last not directly. I know politically the drum of this sounds great to many folks (including Biden) but at best it's getting it the wrong way around. The emphasis to my mind should be on productivity and using invention and complete openess of markets including labor. We need to participate in the world for this. We are in danger of creating at home "pretend" jobs -- those that look as if we are doing something special when we are not. We are already paying almost a $M for each job added or saved in the steel industry and to what ends I don't know.

We have done globalization before and it worked. But we were at the same time both blind and cheap. If we can tidy up the downsides we could all actualyy be happy and prosperous. Essentially some kind of base income along the lines that Yang suggested (although probably the payment needs to be higher) which is paid from the increased efficiencies of both trade, innovation and migration. Have it as a marriage between capitalism and socialism so that one reinforces and not stifle the other.

Unfortunately currently we have half of Washington with no plans or responsibility for the welfare of the country. I think that party has to die before we can have two hands on the issues.

Many thanks and as I say great to hear your takes again.